12:
I woke up the next morning alone.
At first, I was annoyed that Dean left me, but then I thought about the kids and Cody and The Usos and Uncle Johnny and I realized how embarrassing it would've been if any one of them had seen both Dean and I coming out at the same time wearing the same clothes from the night before.
I remembered what I was thinking before I went to sleep. I was imagining the guys at school making fun of me once they heard I hadn't climaxed with Dean. It seemed like a stupid overreaction, now. Dean obviously wasn't going to tell people about us.
He better not if he wants to ever do it, again.
I stood up and grabbed my clothes. I could already hear the TV from downstairs. Becky's voice was carrying on about something. She must be wondering where I was.
My cast was starting to itch. I shoved the fingers of my right hand into it and tried to scratch the spot that was bothering me. I couldn't get to it. I shoved my hair back away from my face and grabbed a rubber band from the floor of Dean's room to tie it up.
I glanced back at his bed. I didn't notice any blood spots. I was relieved.
When I got to the door, I was careful to open it and check the hallway, first. No one was around. I also noticed that the bathroom was free. I quietly made my way up to my room and grabbed a clean dress and some underclothes from my closet. I tip-toed back downstairs and into the bathroom.
I made quick work of a shower. I didn't wash my hair so I wouldn't have to spend time on it. I changed my clothes and came out to assess the situation.
I hurried to get to the top of the stairs, but I made it a point to come down slowly so I didn't look too obvious. Becky and Randy were on the couch watching TV. They had a big bowl of dry cereal between them. Becky was scolding Randy for taking too much when she looked up and saw me.
"Wynona!" Becky screeched.
She got up and rushed over to hug me. I hugged her back. Randy popped his head up from the couch and watched me indifferently. I told him hi. He sank back down in the couch and took another big handful of cereal.
"Wynona? Wyn!" Cody shouted from the kitchen.
Becky didn't want to let me go. I held onto her and she stepped on my boots so I could walk her along with me to the kitchen. Jimmy and Jey were at the table wolfing down a stack of pancakes. Dean had his back to me. He was leaning over a cook book and he turned his head to ask Cody something. Cody had his head in the fridge and he was pulling something out.
"Pancakes?!" I said excitedly.
Cody stood up and smiled broadly. He looked truly happy.
"I outdid myself, Wynona! I really did this time!" he told me.
I glanced at Dean. He was still looking at the cook book and he didn't turn to face me.
I'm being too obvious.
"What did you do this time?" I asked Cody, turning my attention on him.
"Blueberries and mango! The perfect blend!" Cody pointed at the pancakes.
Jimmy and Jey had already eaten most of the stack. I quickly nabbed one and shoved it in my mouth. I took a bigger bite than I meant to and I started choking. Cody gave me a few slaps on the back.
Dean turned to face me and said jokingly, "Damn, girl! You gonna live?"
Jimmy and Jey laughed out loud. Cody ignored the joke and asked me, "What do you think?"
"Us...us good," I gave him a thumbs up.
"It is, man," Jey said, stuffing another whole pancake in his mouth.
Jimmy nodded that he also approved. Dean came over and grabbed two pancakes. He backed off when he saw the glare from Jey for stealing from his stack. Dean went back to the kitchen sink and pulled apart his pancake. He idly popped small chunks into his mouth while he watched The Usos plow through the rest.
I swallowed my piece of pancake and asked, "Did Becky and Randy get some?"
Cody looked disappointed as he explained, "They didn't want any. They said cereal was better."
"More for us, then," I reassured Cody.
He smiled and I reached for another pancake. Jimmy swatted my hand away. I waited until he was busy stuffing his face to grab another piece. He tried to grab it back from me and the pancake ripped into pieces. Some of it fell on the floor. Dean went for it and shoved it in his mouth before Jimmy could grab it back. Cody stared at him and said, "I could make some more."
"Naw, I'm good," Dean licked his fingers clean and walked out of the kitchen.
I checked the clock in the kitchen. There was still some time before school started. I went out to check on Randy and Becky. They were already dressed and ready. Dean was at the foot of the stairs. He was also watching them when I came out. I made my way over to him and asked, "Could you close the window in my room? It's stuck."
"Yeah, sure," he turned around and started up the stairs.
I followed after him. We made it to my room and I closed the door. I locked it and turned around to face him. Dean was busy checking the window. I scoffed at him and said, "Did you think I really brought you up here because of the stupid window?!"
"Oh," he acted like he totally knew better and I rushed into his arms.
We furiously made out. It was sloppy and kind of pathetic, but I felt ecstatic by it and Dean showed his enthusiasm with the bulge in his jeans. He opened his fly to ease the restriction and he guided me into the bed. We had our hands all over each other when Dean suddenly pulled away and gave me a stern look.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"It smells in here," Dean replied, glancing around suspiciously.
I sniffed the air.
"It smells like it always does," I shrugged.
Dean seemed unconvinced. He looked over his shoulder and he even sat up on his knees to get a better view of the room. I asked him more seriously, "What's going on?"
His eyes drifted down to mine. He still seemed agitated as he reached out to help me up. We got out of bed and Dean got down on his knees to check underneath it. I began to understand why he was so bothered.
"You think Seth was here?" I asked.
Dean must've caught something in the tone of my voice. He immediately stood up and said in his usual laid back way, "It's nothing. We should go."
He took me by the hand and led me out of the room. It was actually close to leaving time, but I couldn't help looking back over my shoulder to make sure nothing was there.
I didn't see anyone, but I hadn't checked my closet.
:-:
"So...you didn't squirt from your vag like a fountain?" Sasha managed to sound both incredulous and super blunt at the same time.
It felt like a stab in the pit of my stomach. I rolled my eyes to show my lack of appreciation as I said sarcastically, "Thanks for making me feel better about it all, my BFF!"
"Oh, come on! You know I was just being a cunt like always!" Sasha argued, making me laugh.
We were sitting on the field for lunch. I wanted a quiet place where no one could eavesdrop while I told Sasha about my first time with Dean and my dormant libido.
"Dean came twice, right?" she asked.
"Yeah. I mean, I think so. He acted like he did," I shrugged.
"Boys don't need to act," Sasha pointed out, then she added quickly, "Maybe you have to find your position."
"Position? Like all that twisty stuff they show in the books?" I frowned.
Sasha laughed and replied, "No, I mean it like some girls get a better release on top. Others like it Missionary-style. Others like it from behind. I mean, there are lots of things to try, if Dean's into it."
"He'd probably be into anything," I said, and Sasha knowingly lifted her brows.
She shook her head at me after I laughed and she replied, "Don't think too much about it. Girls think too much. It stalls the progress. Try not to think. Just be with him. It'll get better, but only if you want it to."
I nodded and Sasha changed the subject, asking, "What about Seth, though? You said Dean thought he was in your room? Does that mean he came back?"
She was referring to what I had told her about meeting up with Seth at his ranch house and our awkward exchange. I knew I could tell Sasha everything, so the promise I made to Seth was still safe. She was also referring to Dean's distraction this morning. Sasha made a disgusted face when I told her Dean and I were making out before he went all hound-sniffing-out-a-clue on me. I made a long sigh of frustration and answered, "I don't think he'd come back. He made it pretty clear at the ranch house that he had no reason to leave. I also told him that I wasn't interested in being his sex toy."
"Maybe he didn't get the hint," Sasha mentioned.
She had a point. Seth had let me go a bit too easily. I still had to consider the fact that he was very adamant he wasn't leaving the ranch and he didn't want anyone to know he was there.
"Why come back and blow his own cover? He made me promise not to tell anyone he was there. He was really serious about it," I said.
"Yeah, but...if he was only there for you..." Sasha drifted off.
I swallowed hard and asked her seriously, "You think he would do that to me? Like, rape me or something?"
Sasha was always honest. I knew she would tell me the truth. She looked away. I could already see her answer before she said it, "He's an alcoholic and an addict. He's unreliable and he comes from a cult state of mind. He's never had to face any consequences. He probably wouldn't even think it was rape. He'd think he was doing you a favor or some shit."
That did sound like Seth. Sasha looked back and saw the concern on my face. She added reassuringly, "Look, Dean is your go-to guy right now. He's on to Seth's games and he seems to be the only guy Seth is really afraid of. Just don't go off by yourself for a while. So far, there's nothing to prove that Seth has even come around. Don't get yourself all puffed up over nothing...but don't go looking for trouble, either."
She leaned in and gave me a hug. We held each other for a long time. Some guy walked past the bleachers and saw us. He whistled and called out to us while he gyrated his hips, "Lesbionic! Yea-uh!"
We broke apart so Sasha could flip the guy off.
:-:
I was going to take Sasha's advice and stay close to Dean. He had given me a ride to school and I planned to go home with him, but I was stalled at my locker by a concerned looking Roman.
Well, shit.
"Hello, Roman," I unintentionally sounded as cordial as the 19th Century.
"Hey," he replied with a broad smile.
I turned to open my locker. The door almost smacked him in the face. He slowly went around to the other side of me and leaned in to look into my eyes. I frowned at him and asked, "Do I have something on my face?"
He took a step back and replied quickly, "No, no, it's not that, I was just..."
Roman struggled to get the words out. I told him honestly, "If you're looking to ask me out, I'm sorry, but I'm with Dean."
He blinked a few times. He looked legitimately disappointed. I shoved my books into my bag and closed my locker. I stepped around Roman to leave. I could hear his heavy footfalls as he followed me.
"Wait!" he called to me.
I stopped and turned to face him. His voice was so quiet that it was hard to hear him as he asked me, "Could we still be friends?"
He flinched when he said friends. It was obvious he still had a big thing for me, but he was the first guy I knew who bothered to ask if that were an option instead of turning on a shit attitude and cutting ties completely. I sighed and answered, "Yeah, that would be fine."
Roman's whole face lit up and he stood a little straighter. I asked him, "What time is it?"
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked it. He gave me a serious look and asked, "You need a ride home?"
"Dean has to go get the kids, so yeah," I answered.
"I could take you home," Roman nodded.
We got out to the parking lot and over to his truck. I was disheartened to see Jimmy and Jey waiting there. They saw me with Roman and they immediately got the wrong idea. Both Jimmy and Jey reached out to fist bump their buddy for snagging the girl of his dreams. I started to reconsider whether friendship status was the right thing to do.
Roman explained to them, "We're just friends," but he fist-bumped Jimmy and Jey anyway.
Both Jimmy and Jey gave me a hard look.
"What's that face? Bros before hos?!" I retorted loudly.
Other students in the parking lot laughed or turned to check out the drama. Jimmy and Jey scoffed at me and I pushed them aside so I could get into the front seat. They both had to sit in the bed of the truck. They made it a point to slam their butts down on the truck bed so I bounced in my seat. Roman laughed about it and I glared at him.
"So, uh...you have any plans Friday night?" Roman was still searching as he drove us home.
"I might go out with Dean," I replied, making sure he understood I wasn't looking for a date.
Roman cleared his throat and explained, "I have a game on Friday. I'd appreciate it if you came."
His voice cracked a little bit. I wondered if his heart might totally fail if I turned him down once more.
"Yeah, I could do a game. I like basketball," I said.
"No, it's for football. I made it through try-outs. I'm on defense," he told me proudly.
I smiled at him and replied, "Good for you! We might get to State with you on the team!"
Roman was elated. I was being honest about what I said. He was one of the biggest athletes at the school, and he was talented to boot. I couldn't imagine other teams wanting to be tackled by someone his size.
"You can bring Dean and the kids, too! Bring Cody along as well! I'll have tickets for all of you!"
"Thank you, that's very generous," I blushed despite myself.
Roman saw it and misinterpreted the meaning. He quickly explained, "I mean, I wouldn't be paying for them or anything. I get a bunch of free tickets for being on the team, you know? They want my family there but my parents work a lot. The tickets would go to waste if you don't take them."
"It's cool. Thank you," I smiled.
Roman pulled up to the house. He told me to wait as he got out and went to the passenger door to open it for me. Jimmy and Jey snorted and scoffed as much as they could while they got out. They wanted to make sure I knew that they were dissatisfied with me for putting Roman in the friend zone when he was obviously such a good catch. I ignored them and let Roman take my hand to help me out of the truck. He explained himself easily, "I don't want you falling and breaking your other wrist."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," I responded.
Jimmy scoffed loudly from the front porch.
"Don't worry about them. I'm cool with everything. Seriously. I'm cool," Roman told me.
I could tell he wanted to say something more. Probably something to the effect of: If it doesn't work out with Dean...
"Wynona!" Cody called from inside the house.
I glanced past Roman just as Cody came out to the porch. He told me quickly, "Dean went for a walk. He was headed for the creek. He said he wanted you to meet up with him."
"Thanks, Cody!" I waved at him.
Cody went back into the house. Roman looked in the direction of the creek and mentioned, "It's quite a walk. Sure you don't need a ride?"
"It's okay. I know my way," I said.
"Be careful, okay? Call me if you need anything," Roman told me.
"See you, Friday," I said.
Roman nodded and turned to go into the house. He was staying to hang out with Jimmy and Jey. I made my way toward the creek, walking against a hot breeze that kept trying to blow my dress up into my face. I was hoping Roman wasn't watching me through the window because I probably looked pretty stupid.
I was reminded of what Sasha had told me earlier about not going out on my own. Here I was, walking a long distance from the house. I told myself it was fine because I was headed for Dean. I did find it odd that he didn't just wait for me at the house, though.
The area was very quiet. I could only hear the tall grass flowing in the breeze. I had to slap a few bugs away. My knees started to burn from all the walking when I finally caught sight of the creek. I couldn't see Dean just yet, but I waved in case he could see me. He didn't appear, so I kept going. There was a place where a metal bridge went across the creek. We used to go there to swim as kids. I figured that's where Dean would be waiting for me.
When I got to the bridge, though, I didn't see anyone.
"Dean?" I called out.
He didn't answer me. I went around to the other side of the bridge. There was a large tree with a rope tied to it. I reached out to push it. I was reminded of how we used it as kids to swing into the water.
I watched the rope swing in the breeze. I looked down at the water and saw some tiny fish swimming around. The water line was really low because of a long drought in the area. I looked back over my shoulder, thinking Dean had to be somewhere nearby.
"Dean?" I called out once more.
He still didn't answer me. I started to feel uneasy. I was about to head back toward the bridge when I saw something move on the other side.
It was Seth.
He had his head down and he didn't seem to notice me as he made his way toward the other side of the bridge. I instinctively moved behind the large tree so he couldn't see me. I peeked out to see where Seth was and hoped he wouldn't find me hiding out. Seth was about to walk across the bridge when Dean's voice shouted from behind him, "Hey!"
Seth stopped and turned his back to me. I watched as Dean came up the same path that Seth was on. Dean stood in front of Seth, his voice angry as he shouted, "What do you think you're doing, showing your face back here?!"
I had seen Dean get angry, before, but never at this level. His face was bright red and he looked like he was going to push Seth off the bridge.
"I came back to talk to Wynona! What's it to you?!" Seth shot back.
"You're here to harass her, like you always do!" Dean argued.
Seth put his arms out and shoved Dean away. Dean shoved him right back and Seth fell against the wood of the old bridge. Seth seemed surprised by the force and it took him a few seconds to gather himself. He sat up and responded angrily, "You don't get to decide if I talk to her or not!"
"Yes, I do!" Dean countered.
Seth stood up and got in Dean's face as he argued, "Why the hell do you get the right?!"
"Because I love her, that's why!" Dean shot back.
Seth backed up slightly. He seemed unprepared for this response. Dean pointed an angry finger at him and said, "Get out of here, or I'll kick your ass all the way back to your people!"
Dean turned on his heel to leave. He was walking away when Seth shouted at him, "You fucked her, didn't you?!"
Dean stopped short. He didn't turn back to face Seth, but his hesitation was enough for confirmation.
"Well, I fucked Cody, so I guess we're even!" Seth shrugged.
I put my hand over my mouth to stifle the scream I almost made. Seth turned to look in my direction and Dean turned around as well. I hid further behind the tree and tried to be as quiet as possible. I was sure I had been found out, but I heard no boot steps coming my way.
"You're a sick fuck, you know that?!" Dean shouted at Seth.
I dared to peek out once more and I saw Dean walking away. Seth was standing on the bridge with his fists clenched. He stayed there for what felt like a long time.
Finally, Seth walked over the bridge and wandered off in the opposite direction from me. I waited for a long while before I stepped out in case Seth was still around. I walked back over the bridge and followed the path to the house.
I came in through the back door to the kitchen. I didn't see Dean, but I could hear Jimmy, Jey and Roman yelling from the living room. I assumed they were playing video games and Dean was either with them or upstairs in his room.
Cody was leaning over the counter with his nose buried in a cook book. The kitchen smelled like bread. I said quietly so as not to startle him, "Hey, Codes."
He stood up straight and turned to face me. He gave me a bright smile and told me, "Dean came in a few minutes, ago. I told him you went looking for him, but he said he didn't see you."
"Yeah, I couldn't find him, so I went for a walk," I told Cody.
"Oh," Cody shrugged and went back to his cook book.
I came up to him so I could lean in closely as I whispered, "Cody, did you have sex with Seth?"
Cody didn't look up from his cook book as he replied with a shrug, "I don't know. Maybe."
I wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. He seemed completely cool with the idea of casual sex with Seth, and didn't seem to care whether it even happened or not. I kept whispering regardless of his nonchalance, "Isn't Seth with Charlotte?"
"Oh, no," Cody shook his head, adding like it was nothing, "Charlotte is Seth's sister."
"What?!" I shouted.
Becky heard me and came rushing in. She told me shrilly, "The guys are playing a zombie game! I don't like zombies!"
I heard Randy screech from the living room and the guys started cheering like they had done something great in their gaming endeavors. I hugged Becky close and told her, "It's okay. The zombies aren't real. It's just a game."
"It's scary!" Becky wailed.
"We'll go upstairs and I'll braid your hair," I told her.
Becky nodded with contentment.
I glanced at Cody, but he was still busy reading his cook book.
